Desktop only within Tasks; mobile coming soon!
Team Messages lets your team @mention teammates directly on a work order so on-site conversations stay attached to the record instead of happening off-platform. Admins first enable mentions in the Collaboration settings, then anyone with access can tag teammates, post comments, and reply in threads right where the work lives. This keeps everyone aligned in context and cuts down on status-chasing calls.
Overview
Team Messages gives every work order its own internal conversation, so your team can coordinate on a job without leaving HappyCo. You can @-mention a specific teammate to get their attention, and they'll receive a notification that takes them straight to the conversation.
Team Messages is for your staff only. Residents never see it, and it is not sent to your PMS. It's separate from your Activities log and from your resident messages — those are unchanged.
Team Messages is currently available on desktop.
Getting Started
Turning Team Messages on
Team Messages is off until an administrator in your business switches it on.
- Go to Settings → Collaboration.
- Turn on Enable @mentions across your business.
- The Team Messages tab appears on your work orders straight away.
To turn this on or off you need the Manage Conversation permission. The Administrator role has this by default. If you can't see the option under Settings → Collaboration, ask an administrator to add the Manage Conversation permission to your role in Admin Centre.
Who can use it
Once Team Messages is on for your business, anyone who can see a work order can read and post in its conversation. There's no separate permission to hand out to your team.
Where to find it
Open any work order. Team Messages appears as a tab alongside Activities.
Turning Team Messages off
An administrator can turn Enable @mentions across your business off at any time under Settings → Collaboration. The tab disappears and your work orders behave exactly as they did before. Nothing is deleted — if you turn it back on, your conversations are still there.
@-Mentioning a Teammate
Use an @mention when you need a specific person to see something.
- In the message box, type
@. - A list of people appears. Keep typing to narrow it down — you'll see each person's name and email address.
- Select the person you want. Their name is added to your message as a highlighted chip.
- Finish your message and send it.
The person you mentioned receives a notification. You can mention more than one person in the same message.
Who appears in the list: only people who can already see that work order. If someone you expect isn't showing up, it's usually because they don't have access to that job or that property — an administrator can check their access in Admin Centre.
Someone who has lost access: if a message mentions a person who can no longer see the work order, their name appears greyed out. They won't receive a notification.
Replying to a Message
Replies keep an answer attached to the message it belongs to, instead of leaving it to be found further down the conversation.
- Find the message you want to answer.
- Select Reply.
- Write your reply and send it.
Your reply appears indented under the message it answers. You can @-mention people in a reply exactly as you would in a new message.
Formatting Your Message
You can use:
- Bold
- Italic
- Line breaks, to separate a message into short paragraphs
Other formatting — headings, bulleted lists, links, tables — isn't available yet. If you paste in content that uses them, the text comes through but the formatting is removed.
There's a limit on how long a single message can be, and on how many people you can mention in one message. If a message won't send, try splitting it into two.
Reading Message History
The conversation opens on the most recent messages. Scroll up to load older ones.
If messages can't be loaded, you'll see a message with a way to try again.
New messages from your teammates appear as they're posted — you don't need to refresh the page.
Managing Your Notifications
You'll be notified when:
- Someone @-mentions you in a work order
- Someone posts in a conversation you're already part of
Notifications appear in HappyCo. Selecting one opens the work order with the Team Messages tab active.
To change this, go to your notification preferences and find Team message notifications. It's on by default. Turning it off stops notifications for both mentions and replies — but mentions of you are still recorded, so you'll see them when you open the work order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can residents see Team Messages?
No. Team Messages is internal and staff-only. It's never shown to residents and it's never sent to your PMS.
Is Team Messages available on the mobile app?
Not yet. It's on desktop for now, and mobile support is planned.
Will I get an email when someone mentions me?
Not currently. Notifications appear in HappyCo only. Email notifications are planned.
Can I edit or delete a message after sending it?
No. Messages are permanent once posted, so treat Team Messages as part of the work-order record.
Can I mention a whole team or role at once?
No — you mention people individually. There's no @team, @role, or @everyone.
Can I mention a vendor or contractor?
No. Only people with a HappyCo account in your business appear in the list.
Does Team Messages change my Activities log or my resident messages?
No. Team Messages is a separate tab. Your Activities log still shows system events, your resident messages are unchanged, and your existing work-order comments stay exactly where they were.
Why can't I find the Team Messages tab?
An administrator needs to turn on Enable @mentions across your business at Settings → Collaboration. If it's already on and you still don't see the tab, contact HappyCo Support.
Is Team Messages available on Inspections or Projects?
Not yet. It's on work orders (Tasks) for now.